Improvement in devices for adjusting piston-packing



I. VARON.

DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING PISTON PACKING. No. 195,546 Patented Sept.25,1877.

fittest Inventor N. PETERS. FHDTO-LITNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c

' steam-engines with adjustable piston-packing UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JOSEPH VARON, OF UNION CITY, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES .FOR ADJUSTING PISTON-PACKING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,546, dated September 25, 1877 application filed June 5. 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosEPH VARON, of Union City, in the county of Randolph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Adjusting Spring- Packing in Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide and means whereby the piston-packing may be readily adjusted without removing the cylinder-head; and to that end my invention consists, first, in a cylinder-head provided with a wrench permanently attached thereto, the head of said wrench being located within the cylinder, and adapted to engage with an adj usting-nut on the face of the piston, whereby the piston-packing may be readily adjusted by means of the wrench and without the necessity of removing the cylinder head for such purpose.

My invention further consists in the combination, with a perforated cylinder-head the inner side of which is provided with a conical or inclined valve-seat, of a wrench the shank of which extends through the cylinder-head, while that portion of the wrench-head adjacent to the inner face of the cylinder'head is made tapering or conical to serve as a valve, and snugly fit the conical valve-seat in the cylinder-head, whereby the wrench serves as a permanent piston-packin g adjuster, and also serves as a valve to prevent the escape of steam from the steam-cylinder.

My invention further consists in the several details of construction and combinations of parts, as will more fully appear from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a piston provided with means for adjusting the piston-packing. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said piston with the follower removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the piston and a portion of the piston-rod, and Fig. 4 shows the adjusting-wrench attached to the cylinder-head.

A is the piston, and the same is provided with the ordinary metallic packing-rings e e, which are arranged relatively to each other to break joints, to prevent the passage of steam from one end of the steam-cylinder to the other.

G is a spider of ordinary form, and formed with openings 0; for the passage of the radiallyarranged adjusting-bars f, the outer ends of each of which engage with elliptic or other springs, 11, which latter bear upon the inner side of the inner metallic packing-ring e. The inner ends of the bars f rest in contact with the periphery of cone 9, and are radially adjusted by said cone in the following manner: 0 is a rod, the inner end of which is located within a cylindrical recess formed in the piston-rod, and is supported and guided in said recess. The outer end of rod 0 is screwthreaded to fit corresponding screw-threads formed in follower h. Upon rod 0 the cone 9 is rigidly secured. As said rod is turned it is moved longitudinally, and hence operates to imparta radial movement to bars f through the medium of cone 9, and thus expand the metallic packing e c. The outer end F of rod 0 is of an angular form, and projects sufliciently beyond the face of follower h to allow of the attachment of a wrench to said angular end. Follower h is countersunk about the rod 0, and a ratchet, a, secured to said rod. Said ratchet is provided against back movement by means of pawl b, which engages therewith.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that by the application of a wrench to the projecting end F of rod 0 the metallic packing e 0 may be expanded, and retained in such expanded condition by means of the ratchet a and pawl b.

A represents the cylinder-head, which is centrally perforated, and provided on its inner face with a conical valve-seat, G. The screw-threaded shank of a wrench extends through said cylinder-head, and the wrenchhead B is formed with its rear portion D of conical form, to serve as a valve and prevent the escape of steam from the cylinder. Head B is constructed with a socket, E, corresponding in form to the angular end F of rod 0. Movement is imparted to the wrench through the hand-wheel K.

The operation of the device is as follows: When it becomes necessary to set out or expand the metallic packingrings 0 e, the piston is moved as far as is possible toward the cylinder-head A'. The wrench located in said cylinder-head is then turned inwardly until the socket E engages with the rod 0. The wrench is then turned, and, as heretofore stated, it operates to expand the packingrings, which are retained in such expanded condition by means of the ratchet a and pawl b. When the rings have been sufficiently set out to form a steam-tight joint the piston is moved away from cylinder-head A, thus disengaging the wrench-head from rod 0, when said wrench-head is turned back singly against the conical valve-seat in the cylinder-head, and operates as a valve to prevent the escape of steam from the cylinder.

Steam-engines provided with my improvement are adapted to have the piston-packing readily adjusted without the necessity of removing the cylinder-head, and hence much time and expense are saved.

Having fully described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cylinder-head provided with a wrench passing through it, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with a perforated cylinder-head provided with a conical valveseat, of a wrench-head a portion of which is tapering or conical in form, and arranged to seat within the conical recess in the cylinderhead, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a piston the packing of which is adapteti to he expanded by means of an angular ended bolt passing through the follower, of a wrench the shank of which extends through the cylinder-head, substantially as set fort 4. The combination of the iollower h, rod a, cone 9 ratchet a, pawl 12, bars f, springs d, and packing-rings e a, substantially as set forth.

uosnrn VARON. Witnesses:

U. L. omens, JOHN McCoNixitLL. 

